Saturday was the first time Johns Hopkins football had ever faced a team ranked No. 1 in the nation.

“I joked early in the week that it was sort of a Division III bucket list to come to Alliance and play Mount Union,” Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff said. “We’ve done it once, and I hope we have a chance to do it again some day ... they’re a great team and I wish them the best.”

Margraff’s Blue Jays died a quick death at chilly Mount Union Stadium.

They were hit with a flurry of five Mount Union scores in the first half, and at the end of the day the Purple Raiders had outgained them 653-278 in a 55-13 second-round playoff victory.

Quarterback Kevin Burke and wide receiver Jasper “Junior” Collins hooked up for five touchdowns, and Charles Dieuseul and Nick Driskill had successive picks in the first quarter to shoot Mount Union into the quarterfinals for the 21st straight postseason.

The 12-0 Purple Raiders will play

Widener, a 28-7 winner over Salisbury, in next Saturday’s quarterfinal, most likely at Mount Union Stadium, when the site is released later today.

With the temperature at freezing and a light snow falling, throwing the ball seemed questionable. And it was, until Burke and Collins did the heaving and catching.

Dieuseul’s diving theft from the hands of a Johns Hopkins receiver at the Blue Jays’ 10-yard line sent the message the pass was a bad idea.

It took one play for Collins to haul in Burke’s pass running a straight sideline route to the end zone.

When Driskill picked Jays quarterback Robbie Matey’s next toss at Johns Hopkins’ 26, Burke found Collins for a 9-yarder to make it 14-0. They ended up adding touchdowns of 29, 9 and 45 yards in less than three quarters.

“We always have that connection,” said Collins, whose five scoring grabs tied a Division III playoff mark and the school postseason record. “He can read defenses. He sees the blitzes and what he wants us to do.

“Gotta just be there.”

Collins gets there. He caught 12 Burke passes for a career-high 202 yards in his third straight 100-yard effort. That ran Collins’ season totals to 67 catches for 1,246 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres liked what his star receiver did.

“I think we started throwing it well and we just kept it up,” said Kehres. “I think his totals you are seeing in games are a reflection of playoff time and he’s playing a little bit more. But Junior’s been able to play like this forever.”

Up 41-7 in the third quarter, Collins made a play reminiscent of the likes of former Mount Union great Pierre Garcon, now with the Washington Redskins.

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Burke uncorked a long toss that appeared headed out of the end zone. At the last second, Collins reached up, his arms extended over the end line, snagged the ball and drug his left foot in bounds — simultaneously.

“I think Junior’s one of the most talented guys,” said Burke, 25-of-36 for 388 yards. “The fact he can get his feet in bounds, with his body out of bounds ... he has a knack for doing that and it’s got me a lot more touchdowns this year.”

Johns Hopkins running back Jonathan Rigaud showed why the Blue Jays won 10 games. Down 21-0 in the second quarter, he swept right and raced 75 yards for a score, the second-longest play against Mount Union this season.

Rigaud finished with 138 yards on 25 carries, the first back to rush for 100 yards against Mount Union since Lavell Coppage of Whitewater ran for 299 in the 2010 Stagg Bowl.